Lotus

Lotus (died 48 BC) was a servant of Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. She was tasked with tasting food and wine before it was served to the queen, with the objective of ensuring that any harm in the food or wine would go to her, not to the queen. In 48 BC, during the Siege of Alexandria, the eunuch Pothinus had Lotus serve Cleopatra poisoned wine, threatening to have her killed if she refused to do so. Lotus wiped her mouth with her towel after tasting the wine the first time, and Cleopatra noticed this irregularity. When questioned by Cleopatra, Lotus broke down and apologized, saying that Pothinus threatened to have her killed. Cleopatra told Lotus that she forgave her, but the queen had her drink the poison anyways, and Lotus died within seconds of drinking it again.